How To Spot And Avoid Work From Home Scams

It’s not always easy to spot if you are about to be scammed online, but in my experience I have discovered that certain factors can indicate that might just be the case.

The list below is one that I created to help me with my research when reviewing products, and I call them ‘scam factors’.

By checking a website for the points below and then following my advice, you can be pretty sure that you won’t fall for a program that might scam you.

#1 No description of what you will be doing to earn money

Some of the most “successful” scams online use this tactic, and the reason why it works so well is … CURIOSITY. We are all curious by nature and if it involves earning money then we will find it very hard to resist.

But the fact remains that if a website doesn’t tell you how you will be earning money before you pay or even give your name and email address, it’s a strong indication that more deceit lies ahead.

#2 Video or information suggesting high income and/or extravagant lifestyle is possible

Any website suggesting unrealistic earnings and a lavish lifestyle in ANY way is attempting to play with your mind. You have likely reached the website because you are in a situation where you need to improve your financial situation, so straight away you will be interested.

The reality is, these claims are almost never true and are simply aimed at creating false hope.

#3 Scarcity tactics used to encourage you to sign up or pay

Have you ever visited a website and it suggests that ‘only x amount are available at this special price’, or a countdown clock is ticking away telling you how long have left to take advantage of an offer?

There’s only one reason for deploying scarcity tactics like this…to get you to join or pay ASAP.

There is no logical explanation for putting you in a position of having to fast track your decision, other than to force you into paying for something that you would normally decide against if you had more time to make your decision. Scarcity tactics…be wary of them.

#4 Geo-targeted information displayed on the website

So you hear about a work from home opportunity and when you visit the website, remarkably, it says that positions are available in your local town!

Do not be fooled by this…it is called geo-targeting and it is method used to trick you into thinking it has worked in your area for others so it can work for you.

In reality, this is a simple bit of code added to the website that picks up on your location and displays it on the website. Yet again it’s another scam factor designed to force you into making a purchasing decision.

#5 ‘Unbelievable’ testimonials are a main feature

For many years now testimonials by genuinely satisfied customers have been a trusted way to assess how good an opportunity is. However, in recent years it has become an exploited area by those wanting to scam you.

First of all you have to remember that written testimonials are simple to fake – anyone can write them and you would never know any different.

Video testimonials, despite being more convincing, can also be faked because if someone really wants to make a product seem better than it actually is, they will pay people to create positive and fake video testimonials.

Evaluating testimonials requires your focused attention. Any exaggerated claims should immediately alert you, either written or by video. The more unbelievable they seem, the greater the chances are that they are fake.

#6 Exit popups offering you a discount or improved offer when you try to leave the website

Exit popups are one of the most frustrating things you can find on a website, and they are specifically put in place by the website owner(s) in an attempt to change your mind about leaving.

The ‘Exit Popup’. One of the most common scam factors

The process is a simple one. You go to the leave the site and a popup appears in the middle of the screen with an improved offer. It will often be a price reduction, and there can sometimes be multiple price reductions every time you try to close the page.

Exit popups leave you thinking: “Why wasn’t I offered this price in the first place?”

Any website with these in place should concern you. Even if they do get you to join at a lower price, you can bet that they will try to make even more money out of you once you join.

#7 No name or ‘about us’ information

If a work from home opportunity doesn’t provide with you a name or information about who the creators/owners are, you can be certain they have something to hide. It’s that simple.

Trust is everything online, and no matter how good an opportunity might seem, if you don’t know who you are dealing with then you should consider it as a major red flag.

#8 Request for your phone number

Asking for your phone number is a trick that makes you think you will have support on the end of the line whenever you need it. However, once you hand over your phone number you will be pressured into handing over cash or even upgrading to a more costly service.

The only time you should ever consider making contact by phone is when the website you are viewing offers you THEIR phone number, and doesn’t request yours first.

This leads nicely to the most important scam factor…

#9 The contact test

Put simply, if there is absolutely no way to make contact with the owners/creators of the website, you should be very concerned.

It is a simple 2 minute job for a website owner to put a contact email address on a website, and at most a 5 minute job to put a contact form up. So you have to ask why wouldn’t they do it?

Because they don’t want to hear from you.

And that should tell you just how legitimate the opportunity really is. Close the website right away and don’t go back.

If you can make contact then you need to prepare an email. Emails are best because you will have a copy of your conversation. If it’s a contact form, make a note of what you said and the date.

When you make contact you need to list any of the points above that concern you:

Once you’ve listed your concerns, you need to ask them one last and very important question:

By asking them if any hidden extras await you once you join, you are basically asking them to be open and transparent with you.

If you’ve stumbled on a scam, they will NOT want to answer this question.

Inform them that you would like a reply within 72 hours then hit send and await their reply. If you don’t hear back within your requested time frame then congratulate yourself because there’s every chance that you have rumbled a scammer.

Make no mistake…72 hours is more than enough time to reply to a potential customer if it is a legitimate opportunity.

If you do get a reply then don’t be afraid to follow up and ask even more questions. You have every right to do so and the contents of your wallet depends upon it.

Satisfied with the reply? If after asking your questions you would like to give the program a try, keep your email exchanges safe for future reference. These will come in handy if you have to request a refund.

And finally, here are a couple of extra tips that should ensure you remain safe online when looking for a genuine work from home opportunity.

# Money back guarantees DO NOT guarantee you will NOT lose money

Money back guarantees are, in my opinion, a scammers favorite weapon. Yes they reduce the risk of your purchase, but scams are structured to such a high degree these days that there is often greater value in you joining the program and giving over your name and email address than actually purchasing the program/product.

The first factor here is “upsells” – those annoying additional purchases that you only find out about when you join. They often appear to enhance your potential, so they become something of a necessity.

If you eventually request a refund for the main product, there’s every chance that you will have paid for or will still be paying for at least one upsell. This makes the original money back guarantee a bit pointless.

The other important factor is to understand the value of your name and email address.

Once you join a program and hand over your details, it’s very likely that you will be contacted at some point in the future about another work from home opportunity.

It might not be tomorrow, next week or even in 6 months time, but if your details fall into the wrong hands you can expect to receive multiple emails as your details get used time and time again.

In addition, the more a website refers to their ‘iron clad money back guarantee’, the greater the chances are it is not the wonderful opportunity that it suggests.

# Be wary of family or friends recommendations

I’m not suggesting for a minute that you should not trust those close to you, but if you should receive an email or social network recommendation from family or friends then I suggest taking the following action…

Contact them directly and ask them to confirm that they personally sent the recommendation to you.

Ideally do this using a different medium to the one that you received the recommendation through, just in case their email or social accounts have been compromised.

The chances are they will know nothing about it, and this comes down to a new wave of cyber scamming which sends recommendations to an individuals email contacts, social friends and followers.

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I’m so glad I found this. I was at the point where they were telling me to call the bank and have my account open for International Transaction so they could make me give $250. If I didn’t find this, I would have been in BIG trouble… Thanks a bunch!

thanks a lot Marcus to open my eyes you are my angel that was a real truth about the lies of scams out there in the internet, now i see the different everything you say is so true, yes it’s already happens to me, i was looking for another job and extra income cause i really need working from home and this one cross to my search and i though that one was a great opportunity for me it was so easy to believe, i just invest in one of those you mentioned hope that i can get my money back, thanks for your avise for sure i will be read very carefully before any move that i would make and use all your tips on my future thanks again

Please be careful out there because there’s a scam waiting around every online corner. The next time you come across a product that promises to change your life, run through my tips and question EVERYTHING before making a financial commitment.

You are awesome for opening my eyes to the lies. I am a total sucker for getbrich scenes online. I am actually in debt for $9,000.00 for websites that I purchased 7 years ago that promised financial success but required me to invest money that I didn’t have. I could not uphold my end and suffered a loss and am still owing for the costs. I took notes on the questions you listed and will be sure to use them in the future. Thanks again!

Really appreciate you stopping by, and yes I agree…not so long ago there was a scam around every corner, but hopefully people are becoming more wiser and savvy when assessing work from home opportunities.

Glad to hear that you approve of my #1 review…it’s one of the few genuine work from home opportunities out there. More importantly, it definitely works if people put in the effort.